John Amen

John Harlan Amen was born on September 15, 1898, in Exeter, New Hampshire, to Harlan Page Amen and Mary Rawson. He completed his secondary education at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1915, an institution where his father had previously served as principal. He pursued higher education at Princeton University, graduating in 1919. Subsequently, he attended Harvard Law School from 1919 to 1923.

He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1923. From 1923 to 1928, Amen worked as an associate at the law firm Shearman & Sterling in New York City. In 1928, he became a partner at Duryee, Zunino, & Amen, a position he held until 1938. Following this, he was a partner at Parker & Duryee in 1938.

Between 1928 and 1938, Amen served as a special assistant to the United States Attorney General, handling cases related to anti-trust laws. On October 26, 1938, he was appointed as a special prosecutor with the authority to supersede the district attorney of Kings County in investigations concerning official corruption in Brooklyn. His work included participation in the prosecution of individuals involved with Murder Inc., the organized crime group responsible for multiple murders. His investigations led to the dismissal of nearly a dozen police officers for accepting fraudulent bonds.

During World War II, Amen served as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps Reserve Flying Corps. By 1942, he had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, with a promotion to colonel occurring in 1944.

Following the conclusion of the war, Amen served as associate trial counsel and chief of the interrogations division for the United States Chief of Counsel at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials held in Germany from 1945 to 1946. In this capacity, he was involved in interrogating accused war criminals as part of the U.S. military tribunal proceedings.

On July 25, 1926, Amen married Marion Cleveland Dell, the daughter of former U.S. President Grover Cleveland. The marriage produced one son named Grover Cleveland Amen.

Throughout his career, Amen received several awards and honors, including the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Order of St. Olav (Commander rank) from Norway, and the Order of the White Lion from Czechoslovakia.

John Harlan Amen died on March 10, 1960. In popular culture, he has been portrayed by actors such as David McIlwraith in the 2000 Canadian-American television production "Nuremberg," Michael Fitzpatrick in the 2006 British television production "Nuremberg: Goering's Last Stand," and Tim Woodward in the 2006 BBC television docudrama "Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial."